The successful airborne crossing of the Rhine river by the 1st Allied Airborne troops during World War II. Aircraft lined up at an airfield in England, United Kingdom. British 6th Airborne Division gliders, British Halifax bomber aircraft and British Sterling bomber aircraft, together with U.S. Army Air Forces C-47 and C-46 aircraft take off from an airfield in the UK. British aircraft taking off and British soldiers waving as they pass by on the airfield. British 6th Airborne Division troops in the field. Airborne troops who will be parachuting to targets are briefed by officers as they stand in a group. Soldiers synchronize their watches. Soldiers put on equipment as they prepare to take off. Airborne troops fully loaded with gear ascend stairs to board propeller aircraft. Narrator points out visible tape placed over sharp corners and protrusions on the aircraft to ensure that no parachutes or equipment are caught and damaged. Soldiers entering through doorways of C-46 aircraft. Personnel at the control tower order aircraft to take off. Aircraft and gliders take off. An aircraft taxis for take off but partially loses control, hits some wheeled carts to the side of the runway, and finally comes to a rest off the runway without severe crash damage. Aerial views of aircraft in flight. Narrator notes that the forces flying from the British airfields are merging south of Brussels with similar Allied forces taking off from bases in France. Troops aboard an airborne aircraft. Allied paratrooper soldiers jump from both doors of C-36 aircraft and their parachutes are seen descending. View of pilot in a towing aircraft as he pulls back lever to cut his towed glider loose. A glider coming to rest in a field on landing. An allied aircraft falling to the ground in flames after being hit by German antiaircraft flak fire. Another allied aircraft is seen exploding upon crashing (with farm barn buildings in foreground partially blocking the view.) Troops in prone position beside gliders after landing, as they secure areas and regroup. Allied British and American Army soldiers enter a village and take German prisoners. Lines of Allied soldiers and equipment advancing near the Rhine.
Allied forces underway in the Atlantic Ocean prior to the Allied invasion of France during World War II. Silhouetted Allied sailor aboard a ship underway in the Atlantic Ocean. Sailors on the deck. One of them looks through binoculars. Sailors on the deck of a ship. A British officer on the bridge of a ship. An officer speaks on a loudspeaker. Water gushes as ship sails through the sea. An officer points towards the sea as he talks to other two officers.
Uniformed U.S. war correspondents and U.S. Army officers explore the house and grounds of the French Chateau de Pont-Rilly, in Négreville near Normandy France, soon after the Invasion of Europe. (The chateau was designed in 1765 by architect Pierre-Raphaël de Lozon for the Marquis d'Ourville). U.S. Army officers in the balcony of the mansion overlooking the entrance. Exteriors of the palatial chateau. A large bomb hole is visible in the roof, right of the main entrance. A French boy points out something distant on the grounds of the Chateau. A swan in a pond. Exteriors of the mansion. At the end of July 1944, near the time this footage was shot, the chateau became the headquarters of Advance Section of Com Z, also known as "ADSEC" (Advance Section, Communications Zone).
Allied airmen and U.S. war correspondents in the European Theater near end of World War II. A poster in French shows a man erecting a wall and the slogan "Protege La France." A French boy wearing a beret stands beside it. Another poster reads 'Its a long way to Rome' and shows British and American flags superimposed over the city of Rome on a map of Italy. A U.S. Army Air Force airman poses near a small Army Air Force aircraft. A photographer and press correspondent talk to the airman. Another Allied airman wearing sun glasses. He removes his glasses and smiles.
Allied troops aboard a ship underway in the Atlantic Ocean prior to the Allied invasion of France during World War II. Allied ships underway at sea. A landing craft at sea. Allied officers aboard a ship. One of them smokes a cigar. A Landing Ship Tank underway at sea. A number of ships underway. A signalman looks through binoculars. Silhouetted face of a man aboard a ship. The open sea. British officers confer on the bridge of a ship. A man in an overcoat aboard a ship.
American Army officers and military war correspondents in London, England shortly before D-Day operations. U.S. officers walk down a street. Officers near a monument talk. An officer clicks pictures. Officers chat and smile. Double decker buses on the street. The Big Ben clock tower in the background. Tulips in a park, people walk in the background. Big Ben with pedestrians in the foreground.
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